When I think about teaching English as a foreign language, I think about having a class with students who will have a range of different abilities within a particular level. I think about having some students who may struggle with tasks or skills areas. However I don’t think about having students who may have a learning disability.

The term ‘Learning Disability’ is a very broad socially constructed concept.

According to Mencap who is the UK’s leading Learning Disability charity “A learning disability affects the way someone learns, communicates or does some everyday things. Someone has a learning disability all through their life.

There are many different types of learning disability. They can be mild, moderate or severe.” (Mencap, n.d., online)

Mencap also states that “A learning disability does not stop someone from learning and achieving a lot in life, if they get the right support.” (Mencap, n.d., online) This means that there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a large number of people with learning disabilities who attend courses to learn English, as long as the right support is provided in order to allow people to do this.

In the UK people with learning disabilities were segregated from other people in Education. This is slowly changing however there are still a large number of people with learning disabilities in Special Schools. Adults with learning disabilities who are at college in further education are also often segregated through the provision of courses designed especially for people with learning disabilities. These courses are often based only around life skills.

In South Korea they still operate a dual system of education. They are looking at students with learning disabilities being included in one unified system. This sounds really good in practice, however the reality is far from happening at the moment. It will take some bold steps on the part of the Korean people and their government to make this happen.

“Every student has diverse needs in education, with some students with disabilities needing more significant adaptations or modifications to their educational experiences. However, this should not be used as a justification to label, segregate, or maintain a dual system of education. With careful planning and thoughtful support, it is possible to meet the unique needs of all students within one unified system of education: a system that does not deny differences, but rather recognises and accommodates for difference.” (Kwon, 2005)

In Italy there is very little segregated education for people with learning disabilities. They have very strong inclusion policies “Italy has dramatically reduced the number of special, segregated schools for students with disabilities and has made general education classrooms the primary educational setting for nearly all students, even those with severe disabilities.” (Begeny, 2007)

I picked these three countries as examples of what is happening in different education systems for people with learning disabilities. Their education systems are at very different stages, however one thing in common is that all the education systems are moving towards a more inclusive approach for people with learning disabilities.

The stage at which a countries education system is at will affect the likelihood and the prevalence with which people with learning disabilities are taught by TEFL teachers. In the coming years as education systems are becoming more inclusive TEFL teachers are likely to see an increase in the number of students with learning difficulties in their class. This is likely to be most noticeable in classes of young learners, where education is compulsory up until a certain age in most countries.

References

Begeny, J.C. and Martens, B.K. (2007) ‘Inclusionary Education in Italy: A literature Review and Call for More Empirical Research’ Remedial and Special Education [electronic] Vol.28 No.2, pp.80-94

Grant, G., Goward, P., et. al. (2005) Learning Disability: A Life Cycle Approach to Valuing People. Maidenhead: Open University Press

Kwon, H. (2005) ‘Inclusion in South Korea: The current situation and future directions’. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education [electronic], Vol.52, No.1, pp.59-68

Mencap (n.d.) [Online]. Available: [28 April 2007]